10 Grandest Moments In The History Of Indian Sports (UPDATED)

Posted By: Sufia Banu | August 17, 2017

For years India has produced several fine athletes who have showcased glorious potentials and managed to secure prestigious medals in various fields of sports. This is part 1 of my attempt to list some of the most memorable moments in the history of Indian sports. Brace yourselves for sheer awesomeness of Indian athletes. The History Of Indian Sports has been awe-inspiring, let’s have a look at the golden moments from the history.

10 Grandest Moments In The History Of Indian Sports

When Kumble Nailed Brian Lara With A Broken Jaw

One of the most inspiring and not-to-mention grossly shocking moment in History Of Indian Sports, hell, in the entire sports history was during the 2002 Antigua Test when Anil Kumble emerging from the pavilion, ready to knock some batmen out with bandages round his head. He was suffering from broken jaw at a time when the team needed him most. So he decided to f**k pain and give his best shot. Consequently he dismissed Brian Lara to everybody’s shock. Next day he flew down to Bangalore to get his jaw fixed. What a man!

The Golden Era Of Indian Football Between 1951 And 1962

It all began with the victory of 1951 Asian Games hosted by India. Following year, the Indian football team continued their onslaught by winning the Colombo Quadrangular Cup in Sri Lanka. Within the next ten years Indian Football team had won Colombo Quadrangular Cup 3 more times, finished fourth n the 1956 Olympics and the 1958 Asian Games, they also came out victorious in the 1962 Asian Games. Sayed Abdul Rahim was the badass legendary coach and manager who lead the Indian national team during its golden year. It’s no wonder back then the Indian team had ranked among the top 20 football teams of the world. One of the moments in History Of Indian Sports.

When An Indian Won An Individual Olympic Medal For The First Time

His name was Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav. He was a wrestler and by winning a bronze medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Finland, Jadhav gave India one of its most glorious moment to revere in retrospect. But sadly despite all this Jadhav was the only Olympic medalist who didn’t receive the Padma Award.

Post-Olympics Jadhav joined the police force and was praised for his work and dedication. But later on when he had retired, he unable to get pension and died in poverty. For half a century Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav was forgotten until in 1996 when Leander Paes became the second person to win a bronze and Jadhav name emerged as people recollected him being the first one. And in 2001 he finally received his long-due recognition with the Arjuna Award.

When P. T. Usha Sweeped 4 Golds At The Asian Games

Talking of History Of Indian Sports, Born in a small Indian village with an extremely long name (it’s Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, if you were wondering), Usha is today (though largely unknown) one the finest Indian athlete. She is a track and field athlete nicknamed ‘queen of Indian track and field’ and sometimes called ‘the Payyoli Express’. During the 1968 Asian Games hosted by South Korea, Usha made everybody’s head-spin by sweeping off, not one or two or even three but four, goddamn gold medals. Added to this she also managed to win a silver in the track and field events. No wonder they call her the Payyoli Express.

When Indian Won The World Hockey Cup

Speaking of History Of Indian Sports, On 15th March 1975, the Indian Hockey team made history by winning the World Cup after beating Pakistan with a score of 2-1. During the championship, legends like Captain Ajit Pal and Aslam Sher played one of their best games in their entire career.

Fun fact: This happened during the third Hockey World held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between March 1 and 19, 1975. And it was for the first time that the Hockey World Cup was being hosted by an Asian country.

First Indian To Win All England Badminton Championship

Prakash Padukone in the year 1980 won the coveted England Open title, becoming the first Indian to do so. Encouraged by his father, who was also the Secretary of the ‘Mysore Badminton Association’, Prakash began playing badminton when he was quiet young. From then on he has flourished in the game, winning the national championship a record nine times. Prakash has been decorated with the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri in 1972 and 1982.

Fun fact: Yeah, you’ve probably guessed it or may be being an Indian (or Indian film fanatic) you know that Bollywood’s dazzle darling Deepika Padukone is Prakash Padukone’s daughter.

The First Indian To Swim Across The English Channel

In 1958 Mihir Sen, a long distance swimmer became the first Indian to swim across the English Channel from Dover to Calais. And not just that, in 1966 he managed to swim across 5 channels including Strait of Gibraltar, Dardanelles, Panama Canal, Bosphorpous and Palk Strait. Consequently he was awarded the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan in 1959 and 1967 respectively.

When Milkha Singh Lost The Bronze By 0.1 Seconds

Not a glorious moment but a memorable one. Those of us who live in India, really need no introduction to this man, especially after the release of the blockbuster film ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ (2013). But for everyone else know that Milkha, also called The Flying Sikh, was a track and field sprinter, and a famous one at that.
In 1960 Olympic he gave a spectacular performance at the 400 metres final but finished fourth-place by 0.1 seconds. But this didn’t stop him from becoming India’s most revered Olympian.

The Indian Who Reached As High As No. 6 In Tennis Ranking

He was a man was named Ramanathan Krishnan who shined brightly in the 50s and 60s. Krishnan didn’t just reach World No. 6 but also made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in the years 1960 and 1961 respectively. Krishnan’s style of playing has been given various ridiculous names like ‘touch tennis’, ‘pure oriental charm’ and ‘Eastern magic’.He retired in 1968 and now lives in Chennai. Krishnan is recipient of all three Arjuna award, the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan in 1961, 1962 and 1967.

Karnam Malleswari’s Shining Performance At The Olympics

First off let me introduce you to Karnam Malleswari. She is an asskicking weightlifter who has had a decade of glorious career. What did she achieve during all this time? Well, 11 prestigious gold, 3 silver and an awesome Olympic bronze. Now speaking of the bronze, she won that at the 2000 Summer Olympics hosted by Australia and consequently becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal.

Honorable Mention

India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup

Indian cricket team went on to have hands on the world cup after hiatus of 28 years. The star-studded side stood up as the champ and this is one of the most fascinating moment for sports fan out there. At the same time, one can’t forget 1983 world cup when India first won the world cup.

Can you recall some of the other grandest moments from the History Of Indian Sports.